Unboxing: Sephora Play! June 2017

Even though the Sephora Play! box has disappointed me a few times, I'm always very excited when it shows up at my door. Want to see what I got this month? Let's take a look!

What is Sephora Play! ?

By now, I'm sure most of you already know. If you don't, here's the deal: Sephora Play! is a beauty subscription box that comes to members' mailboxes every month and costs $10 (+ tax), charged automatically to the credit card on file. For this price, we receive 5 samples, deluxe or travel sizes of makeup, skincare, haircare products and one fragrance sample. You cannot pick your samples - you just get what you get and there's no exchanging samples you don't like. I don't remember filling a survey asking for my preferences when I signed up, but the subscription is linked to your Sephora BI/VIB/Rouge account so you might want to complete your profile just in case. Different subscribers may receive different samples every month, so what you see in my box might not be what someone else got.

The Sephora Play! program was launched in 2015 in a bunch of test markets in the US and opened nationwide in April 2016, just over a year ago. Subscribers are charged at the beginning of each month and the box is supposed to be shipped in the 3rd week of the month: I was charged on June 3. The box was sent through UPS Mail Innovations as usual, which is a mix of UPS and USPS, where UPS brings the box to your city and USPS does the final delivery to your mailbox. As most past months, I only got an email with my tracking number when my box was transferred to USPS, and I received it on the 17th.

Let's unbox this month's goodies!

The theme for this month is The Summer Starters, must-have products for warm weather. After last month's surprise plastic pouch, we're back to the classic canvas bag, with a beach-y print.

What's in the June box?

- Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in K-Dub: I don't know that liquid lipstick is really a summer must-have (they've been all the rage for at least 2 years), but the Kat Von D formula has a very good reputation and I've never tried it. I'm glad that I get to test it although K-Dub, a bright plummy pink, is definitely not a shade I would have picked for myself. Well it's summery at least! I bet that most Play subscribers have already tried this lipstick however, so it might be a boring sample for some.

- Benefit the POREfessional Face Primer: this is a cult classic, but believe it or not, another one I haven't tried yet. So it's a good pick for me, but again for the vast majority of Play subscribers it's probably a disappointment to see a very common product that's been around for ages in the box.

- First Aid Beauty Hello FAB Coconut Skin Smoothie Priming Moisturizer: they're loving long names at FAB! This is a new-ish product (I think it was released a few months ago if I'm not mistaken) that takes on the moisturizer primer hybrid trend. I'm a bit disappointed that it doesn't have an SPF and I'm not sure how to incorporate it in my summer routine. I typically use a primer with SPF, or apply sunscreen between my moisturizer and my primer. What to do? Plus, 2 primers in a box?

- Ouai Rose Gold Hair & Body Oil: 3rd time I'm getting Ouai in a Play box, they really love partnering with the brand! This oil is actually a brand new release, so we're finally getting some excitement with a just-launched product. I'd like more of that, please.

- IGK Rich Kid Coconut Oil Gel: what, 2 hair products in a box? My first reaction is to say "meh", but to be honest my fave discoveries from the Play box so far have been haircare. The only one product I purchased full size after getting it in a box is a hair product (Bumble & Bumble Don't Blow It). So yeah, maybe they'll do something for my difficult hair?

- Perfume sample: Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium. I've never been a fan of the original Opium (way too heavy for me) so I'm not too excited about trying this... At least it's again a recent launch, so a pretty good addition to the box.

Overall

I'm quite liking this box. Nothing is overly exciting to me, but it has a bunch of new or recent products and fan faves that I've never tried, so it's a good match for me. I can see how others might be disappointed to see several classic products if they've used them before though!

Number of products: 6

Makeup products: 2.5

Products I'm really excited about: 0, moderately excited 1

Products I know I won't use: 1 (fragrance)

My grade: B

Where to buy?

The product featured in this review was purchased by me. I received no compensation to write this post, which only reflects my personal opinion. This post contains affiliate links. I receive a very small commission when you click on those links, and the money generated covers a small portion of my expenses to purchase products for review. Clicking on those links helps ensure that Beaumiroir continues to publish reviews of new and exciting high end French products - at no cost to you!

Bonjour!

Lulle, 30-something, I was born and lived most of my life in France. I also spent 5 years in Istanbul, Turkey, and now reside in San Diego, California. I have a cat, Ernesto, a little rascal who traveled with me from one country to another.

Hang out here to discover the best of French beauty brands, latest trends, and reviews of both high end and drugstore cosmetics.